Draft-gear unit



April 19, 1927. "1,625,177

J. M. WAUGH DRAFT GEAR UNIT Original Filed Jan.l6. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :i n O O O Il -o ...NwMU O... aI m .WNV m n W OQ.. O e o.

.vm wm DRAFT GEAR UNIT Original Filed Jan. 16, 1925 AIF* ys' sheets-sheet 2 f Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

Unis s'rass HCF..

JAMES lVI. WAUGI-I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WAUGI-I EQUIPMENT C0., 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DRAFT-GEAR UNIT.

Application filed January 16, 1925, Serial No. 2,771. Renewed November 8, 1926.

Heretofore it has been the practice in furnishing draft gears for railway cars to ship the various parts comprising the draft gear unit separately, thereby making it necessary for the parts to be assembled in the shops of the railway company. This practice has resulted in the making of mistakes in properly assembling the parts comprising the draft gear unit so that when assembled and mounted in place between the draft sills of a car, the draft gear units failed to function properly.

In order to overcome the mistakes resulting from assembling draft gear parts in the railroad shops, this invention has been devised for the express purpose of providing a draft gear unit which may be assembled by the manufacturer and shipped as a unit to the railroad companies so thatthe draft gear unit may be readily mounted in place between the draft sills of a car without relying upon inexperienced help for the assemblage of the parts forming the draft gear unit.

It is an object of this invention to provide an assembled draft gear unit ready for installation between the draft sills of a car.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a draft gear unit wherein the casing sections forming the unit are provided with means adapted' to lockingly engage the end follower blocks for the purpose of holding the assembled draft gear in operating relation ready for shipment and installation. Y

It is a further object of this invention to provide a draft gear unit which maybe assembled with the draft gear friction elements disposed between the casing sections and having'locking engagement therewith to afford an assembled draft gear unit.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a draft gear unit'wherein tongues integrally formed on the casing sections are adapted to seat within notches provided in the end follower plates ofthe draft gear unit thereby holding the casing sections locked with the friction elements to forma draft gear unit which may be shipped as a unit and readily installed between'draft sills of a railway car by inexperienced lhelp or removed from between the draft sills of a railway car, as the case may be.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the dis- Figure l is a top plan view of the draft sills of a railway car with the sill plate re' moved and having mounted therebetween an improved draft gear unit embodying the principles of this invention, with said draft gear unit properly disposed within the drawbar yoke.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the draft gear unit removed from between the rail way car draft sills.

Figure 4 is an end view of the draft gear unit.

Figure 5 is a detail section taken on the line V-V of Figure 4.

vFigure 6 is a side elevation ofthe draft gear unit.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary end view of a modified form of follower plate with parts broken away and having a modifie-d form of locking lug engaged therewith.

Figure 8 is a reduced fragmentary detail section talren on line VIII-VIII of Figl-y ure 7. Y Ars-'shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 indicates a pair of f railway car draft sills of channel iron construction which are mounted longitudinally on the car. A sill plate 2 (Figure 2) is mounted on and connects the upper flanges of the draft sills. Removably secured to the lower flanges of the 'draft sills 1 by means of bolts or other suitable means is a transversely disposed carry iron 4, the ends of which are bent to form flanges which project upwardly beyond the lower sill flanges. The carry iron 4 is constructed to aord a support and guide for the draft gear mechanism as hereafter described.

Secured to the inner face of each of the draft sills are front and rear stop blocks or castings 5 and 6 respectively and which are riveted or otherwise secured to the sills and are positioned to the front and rear respectively of the carry iron 4 to afford aspace between which the draft gear unit of this invention is adapted to fit. The stop castings .5 and 6 are provided with inwardly directed fianges which serve as stops `or abutments t'or the casing sections ot the drat't gear unit.

Supported in the end otthe railwayjcar upon a transverse guide beam 7 av coupler` the` rilway car.y The. improved dra'ltwgcar.

unit :embodying the principles of this" inventioniareiclearly illustrated in Figures 3 toi G inclusive andcomprise a pair oit casingrf or housing sections which are v constructed alike. Each ot the dra'l't gear casingsections-comprises a metall casting 10 having a raised integral middleiportion or bossiill lformed with a middle opening or recess las ,shown in Figure 3.` Each end ot each ot the casing sections 1() is provided witha notch or recess 29. integrally tornied along the longitudinal edges or sides ot' each ofthencasing sections 10 are side plates or flanges 13. Integrally termed on each end ofreachoiz'nthe casing side plates or side langes 13 are inwardly directed locking lugs. or tongues 14n The .shock absorbingelements 'tornnng a part :ot thezdrat't gear unit are `adapted to be carried betn'centhe two casing sections ax'idicomprisc a series ot groups ot friction plates ,i 15; with the` plates inaeach group placed tace to tace and adapted to be collectively bowedy on bent by 1either thrusting orh pulling'strains applied to the coupler or driuvban :Si l The two middle groups ot triction plates 15 `are separated Aby aadouble` convex spacer bloelt 16.4 The outer groups ot-tri`ctionplates are separatedy by double concave spacer blocks 1T.` Positioned against theouter friction plate olieach end group of plates .is the:contrex,inner t'aceflS `etna follower -bloclri19- Fach follower block `19 has :t'orined` thereon upwardly and downwardly projecting :lugs or `shoes 2O which projectthrough the recesses 22 of the casing sections; The tlat outer` tace `ot eachlot thel follower blocks 19 is providedilwith a plurality oifmrecesses or notches 21 as clearly illustrated in Figures a and 5.- The notches 2t are provided in the follower blocks tor the purpose otIV receiving the-bitching or lockingdugsel-t whiclrare integrally formed ou the: casing sections 11. The. lugs-14 when engaged in the ynotcl1es21of thet'ollower blocks serve to atordn loclingiarrangement whereby the. casing sections may be locked with the follower blocks thereby providing a compact draft gear unit whiol-innay be readily assembled by the manufacturer and shipped as a unit to railway car builders to 'be placed in position `in railway cars --withi that the group ot .tractionelements may be'.`

placed withinthe lower casing `section 10 after which the upper :asing,sectionzmaybe placed in positiontoicnclose theupper port-ionsiot said friction. elements. The compressingdevice l is then removed."from the. traction elements thereby permitting the` springs toY exert anoutwardtorce.on the:

follower blocks,A thereby vpushingsaid` fol-l lower blocks intora position;torpermit4 the notches 2l thcreot to lockingly receive or engage thev lockingA lugs 14; whichfare integrally liormedon ythe ends of the side flanges 13 ot the casingsections` 10i The. Jfriction. elements and theA casing sections thus are assembled to` aliord a .compact draft gear unit-which may be readily handled and after being assembled by the. inauuifacturer may llbeshipped as a unit to the railway companies. to beine-tall id as a unit` in the drawbar yokes` J as illustrated iin Figures l and Qiof the drawii Figi 'T and 8 illustrate a inodilied torni ot locking arrangement bctweenia follower blockf and curved hook members 24. The follower blot-li: 23 provided with recesses Q5 forming `lugs or bead.A` 2G over whichthe hooks 24 are adapt ed to engage. The hooks del are integrally termed onlthe ends. of tlie side plates or ilanges l3nt` theL casingsections 1() to permit theaparts ot" a draft' gear toibeheld inassembled relationto form a dra'lt. 4gear. unit.

I ain aware that numerous detailsY of construction may be variedithi'ough a Wide range without departing troni the principles ot this invention .and Ithere'lore"do'` not purpose `limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated bythe prior art.

I claim as my invention;

l..` The combination with -a pair ot vrailway draft sills, ot a carry .iron connecting said dralt sills, apliu'ality ot: 'stop p blocks securedto said dratt'sillsm drawbar, a yoke thereon, a plurality ot casingsections posi# tioned `in said yoke, 'friction 4elements between said casing sections, notched follower blocks `between said casing sections and separatedby said traction elements, and locking ,lugs integrallytormed on said casing sections: for engagement in rthe tollower block` notches tor` locking said oasingsed tionsl with said follower `bloclsto form a drat't gear unit.

2. The combination with a pair of railway car draft sills, of stops mounted thereon, a carry iro-n connecting said draft sills,I a drawbar, a yoke on said drawbar supported on said carry iron, casing sections disposed in said yoke between said stops, friction ele`- ments mounted between said casing sections, follower blocks forming a part of said friction elements and having notches therein, and locking lugs integrally formed on said casing sections adapted to be seated in the follower block notches to form a draft gear unit comprising said casing sections and friction elements.

3. The combination with a drawbar and yoke, of a draft gear unit comprising a casing, notched follower blocks in the said casing, friction elements in said casing disposed between said notched follower blocks, and locking members integrally formed on said casing adapted to lockingly engage the said notched follower blocks.

4. A draft gear unit comprising` a pair of casing sections, a plurality of groups of shock absorbing plates positioned between said casing sections, separator blocks between said casing sections separating said groups of shock absorbing plates, notched follower blocks between said casing sections and positioned to the outside of the end groups of said shock absorbing plates, and projections formed on said casing sections adapted to seat in the notches of the said follower blocks.

5. A draft gear unit comprising a pair of notched casing sections, locking projections integrally formed on said casing sections, a plurality of groups of friction plates positioned between said casing sections, a double convex spacer block between said casing sections separating the two middle groups of friction plates, a plurality of double concave separator blocks separating other of said groups of friction plates, and convex follower blocks positioned to the outside of the outermost of the friction plates and pro jecting into the notches of said casing sections, said convex follower blocks having notches therein to receive the locking projections of said casing sections.

6. A draft gear unit comprising a casing having locking members formed thereon, followers movably positioned in said casing and having notches therein for receiving said locking members seated therein, and friction elements in said casing separating said followers and acting to hold said followers in locking engagement with the locking members of said casino'.

7 Draft gear structures comprising follower blocks, spring plates disposed between said blocks, channel-like cover members disposed against opposite edges of said blocks and spring plates, and releasable lost motion connection between said cover members and said follower blocks for maintaining all of said parts in assembled relation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JAMES M. VVAUGH. 

